Kandersteg Declaration Against Bullying in Children and Youth

We the participants at the Joint Efforts Against Victimization Conference in Kandersteg in June 8th to 10th, 2007 pledge our long term commitment and determination to promote healthy
relationships and prevent bullying and victimization in children and youth.

Considerations

Today, an estimated 200 million children and youth around the world are being abused by their peers.

Every child and youth has the right to be respected and safe. Bullying is a violation of this basic human right.

It is the moral responsibility of adults to ensure these rights are honored and that healthy development and citizenship are promoted. Many adults want more understanding and
strategies to address bullying problems effectively.

Bullying is a form of aggression, involving the abuse of power in relationships. It is recognized globally as a complex and serious problem. It has many faces, including the use
of emerging technologies, and varies by age, gender, and culture.

Children and youth involved in bullying suffer. Bullying and victimization problems begin early in life and for some last a lifetime.

Many risk and protective factors associated with bullying are known and prevention programs are being implemented in several countries with encouraging results.

The mental and physical health, social, and academic consequences of bullying have an enormous impact on human and social capital. The costs of bullying burden our education,
health care, social services, and criminal justice systems, as well as work force productivity and innovation.

Bullying concerns and affects us all.

Actions to be taken

Stop bullying now in all the places where children and youth live, work, and play.

Start prevention efforts early and continue these through childhood and adolescence, targeting known risk and protective factors and promoting healthy relationships.

Educate and empower all adults involved with children and youth to promote healthy relationships and prevent bullying.

Use policy and prevention programs, based on scientific research, that are appropriate for age, gender, and culture, and that involve families, peers, schools, and communities.

Provide ongoing assessment and monitoring necessary to evaluate the success of policy and programs and to guarantee the rights of children and youth.

Kandersteg, Switzerland, June 10, 2007

Almeida, Ana Maria

University of Minho, Portugal

anatalmeida@gmail.com

Alsaker, Françoise D.

University of Berne, Switzerland

francoise.alsaker@psy.unibe.ch

Boivin, Michel

University of Laval, Canada

michel.boivin@psy.ulaval.ca

Brendgen, Mara

University of Québec, Canada

brendgen.mara@uquam.ca

Clémence, Alain

University of Lausanne, Switzerland

alain.clemence@unil.ch

Craig, Wendy

Queen’s University, Canada

craigw@post.queensu.ca

Cross, Donna

Edith Cowan University, Australia

d.cross@ecu.edu.au

Flammer, August

University of Berne, Switzerland

august.flammer@psy.unibe.ch

Gutzwiller, Evelyne

University of Lucerne, Switzerland

eveline.gutzwiller@phz.ch

Hymel, Shelley

University of British Columbia, Canada

shelley.hymel@ubc.ca

Kwak, Keumjoo

Seoul National University, South Korea

kjkwak@snu.ac.kr

Ladd, Gary

Arizona State University, USA

gary.ladd@asu.edu

Lauper, Dorothee

University of Berne, Switzerland

dorothee.lauper@psy.unibe.ch

Menesini, Ersilia

University of Florence, Italy

menesini@psico.unifi.it

Nägele, Christof

Federal Institute of Vocational Training, Switzerland

christof.naegele@ehb-schweiz.ch

Ortega Ruiz, Rosario

University of Cordoba, Spain

ed1orrur@uco.es

Pepler, Debra

York University, Canada

pepler@yorku.ca

Perren, Sonja

University of Zurich, Switzerland

perren@jacobscenter.unizh.ch

Roland, Erling

University of Stavanger, Norway

erling.roland@uis.no

Salmivalli, Christina

University of Turku, Finland

tiina.salmivalli@utu.fi

Smith, Peter

University of London, UK

pss01pks@gold.ac.uk

Spiel, Christiane

University of Vienna, Austria

christiane.spiel@univie.ac.at

Strohmeier, Dagmar

University of Vienna, Austria

dagmar.strohmeier@univie.ac.at

Vaillancourt, Tracy

McMaster University, Canada

vaillat@mcmaster.ca

Valkanover, Stefan

University of Berne, Switzerland

Stefan.valkanover@ispw.unibe.ch

Veenstra, René

University of Groningen, Netherlands

d.r.veenstra@rug.nl

We kindly ask our ESDP members and any other persons who feel committed to this important issue to translate this declaration into their national languages and send the
translated version to